The business of senior photography has changed a LOT over the last five or so years. 

If you've been around for a minute in this industry, you probably know this.  Maybe you've noticed the subtle differences in how your senior clients use social media now ... how they consume more than they create most of the time.

Maybe you run a model team and have noticed that your team just doesn't share or post the way they did in the past - even if you "require" it.  (By the way, requiring them to post doesn't really work; I'll go into that in just a bit.)

If you haven't seen these changes yet, there is a really good chance they're coming; this just all depends on where you're located. I started noticing these changes back in 2017 because I'm in Los Angeles; we tend to see trends a little sooner in general.  But you can be sure that all high school senior photographers will see these changes because of the combination of the pandemic and how popular TikTok...

WHY is social media marketing SO hard for photographers? 

Knowing what to post, when to post, how to post.  How to connect authentically with Gen Z audiences.  Knowing how often to post, how to make reels that are engaging, how to reach out to teens without seeming creepy. Figuring out a multitude of apps for editing and constantly feeling like your content just isn't as good as other photographers.  

It's enough to drive a person insane, am I right?  

WHY does it have to be so hard??? 

The truth is that it doesn't have to be.

You don't have to spend all your time stressing about it, creating content, and figuring out how to use multiple platforms.  

But you DO have to market.  Clients do not just show up automatically.  Yes, a good word of mouth client base is worth its weight in gold, but that will not get you a steady stream of clients - especially Gen Z clients. 

These clients are savvy.  They need a...

If you've followed me for a bit, you know that I talk a lot about how different Gen Z is in terms of what they want from a senior team or senior portrait experience.  I have tons of info out there about why this is and how to ensure your Gen Z clients feel seen and understood, including an entire Style Guide that will help get them prepped for their session - and I'm always updating info in my Facebook group for senior photographers.  

We will be serving Gen Z clients for a while, so I highly encourage you to make sure you're well versed in what they are looking for in a senior photographer because this generation is SO specific and vastly different from their millennial counterparts.

That's not the topic of this blog post, though - TEENS are.  And by teens, I mean younger than high school seniors.  Now, you may be thinking, "Renee, aren't they still Gen Z'ers?" 

Yep, they are!  But younger teens are historically more excited to shoot and SHARE...

The old way of running model or ambassador teams just doesn't work for Gen Z clients. 

I know ... that's a bold statement.  But I don't say that lightly. 

The reason I know this is because I've seen it happen first hand - not just with my own clients - but also with senior photographers all across the country. 

It started in 2017 for me.  I'm in SoCal, and although senior teams weren't even a thing when I started my business (and my first team) in 2007, they very much are now.  Running a team jump-started my senior business and it is the heart and soul of what I do as a senior photographer in my area.  

Nobody knew what the heck senior portraits even were when I started - I had to build it all from scratch.

And by 2014, my business and my model team were exploding.  I had tons of applications for the team every year, I was making over 100k shooting seniors only and I had parents begging me for a spot on the team for their...

Finally, a Style Guide created with Gen Z clients in mind!

If you're a senior photographer, chances are you are using some form of a "What to Wear" or Style Guide that you send your clients prior to the session to make sure they are 100% prepped for their session with you.

I mean..... I hope you are!

But the problem with most of the style guide templates that have been around for the last few years is that they were created with millennial clients in mind - or worse, parents.

And that, my friend, is not going to convert for your Gen Z clients.  

This is the generation that doesn't even use the emoji anymore and .. *gasp*.. judges us old peeps for wearing skinny jeans & having a side part .

So, first of all, if you aren't speaking to your Gen Z target client in your marketing, that is a problem that I can help you with.  I've been researching this amazing group of change-makers for the last several years so you don't have to.   I got you.

In compiling...